MAYVILLE, N.Y. (WKBW) — Chautauqua County leaders and the District Attorney's Office have announced that two former county employees are facing over a dozen charges related to fraud within the Department of Social Services.
"I wanna say I'm sorry to the residents of Chautauqua County, sorry that this involved our own employees, and sorry that this event took place," County Executive PJ Wendel opened Wednesday's press conference. "Please do not lose faith in the system, nor in the county government and the county system."
The investigation was launched by the county's Department of Mental Hygiene and Social Services' Program Integrity Unit (PIU) after two victims came forward to report suspicious activity on their benefit cards.
Following a joint investigation with the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Department and the District Attorney's Office, two former county employees were charged.
Amber Tibbetts, 38, was a clerk in the Department of Social Services and faces six counts of first-degree tampering with public records, six counts of second-degree forgery, six counts of second-degree identity theft, three counts of petit larceny, and fourth-degree corrupting the government.
According to investigators, Tibbetts is alleged to have used her position with the department to fraudulently obtain temporary assistance funds from the county. Additionally, Tibbetts allegedly used existing Social Service clients' information to issue benefit cards directly to herself.
The other employee, who was only identified as a former Senior Caseworker, has been charged with one count of Welfare Fraud. Neither county leaders nor the DA's office disclosed the specific connection between the two. District Attorney Tom Rankin was also "reluctant" to disclose the dollar amount the former employees are alleged to have stolen.
"I can say that she's (Tibbetts) charged with felonies for a reason," Rankin said. The DA added, "I want to say that she's innocent until proven guilty, and that the indictment is just a charging document. It is not evidence of guilt or innocence. And as PJ (Wendel) said, she's entitled to her day in court, a trial if necessary. "
WATCH: Two former Chautauqua County employees charged with fraud within Social Services
During the press conference, county leaders emphasized the importance of departments like the PIU.
"The system was played out when the report was made to the PIU. The PIU did the investigation when they had their evidence; they brought it to the District Attorney's office, and we are here today," Wendel said. "We've done our homework; we've done our due diligence system will work, justice will play out, and we wanna remind everybody: do not lose faith in the system"
According to Director of Mental Hygiene and Social Services Carmelo Hernandez, some of the individuals impacted by the alleged fraud will be re-compensated with Severe Mental Illness dollars and Medicaid dollars. "So we were able to help the individuals with services to make sure that they were taken care of," Hernandez said. "Most importantly was taking the seriousness of the accusations and making sure that they received justice for what was done to them."
The Department of Mental Hygiene and Social Services encourages employees, recipients, service providers, and community members to report suspected fraud, misuse of benefits, or other concerns by calling 800-388-5365 or visiting chautauquacountyny.gov/humansocial-services/program-integrity- unit. Information received is carefully evaluated and, when warranted, referred for further investigation.
